At First Sight
by Ashuire
Summary: In the world of Aincrad, love is scarce. But, love between two girls in this world is even more rare. Two girls, Ai and Kokoro, live in their own romantic realm in this new world.
1. At First Sight

I wield my trusty dagger in my hand as the monster readies to fight me. This monster is known as a _Dire Wolf_. It is the first monster that I've encountered so far after the announcement. The announcement terrified all of us, whether or not we actually believed his words. Today, we learned that we are trapped inside a death game that will end as soon as the game is conquered.

I only wanted to have fun in my first full-dive experience. Now, I must fight for my survival. My survival is the only thing I ever cared about, until now.

* * *

><p>I wander through the <em>Sunshine Forest<em>, a forest on the 20th floor. It's a nice sight, this dungeon. I trek through it with utmost caution, though. I am only level 57 so far. I leveled up my dagger skill as far as I could. With each level up, I concentrated most of my points towards my agility stat, leaving only a few points for my strength. I don't have much armor, but that doesn't bother me. I like to wear black thigh-highs, jean shorts, and an iron breastplate with a green tank-top underneath. I am here in a lower level because I have some business to take care of.

I usually go solo since this is a death game after all. I didn't have anyone on my friends list yet either. My dagger is a rare monster drop called,_ Young Wind_, since it's swift and will bring a chill to your spine every time you see it. The appearance of the blade is very jagged and saw-toothed.

I notice a _Killer Mantis_ in the distance and head for it. I approach it quietly and draw my blade. I take a good look at it. Its body is green with four legs. Two scythe-like arms protrude from its chest, one is metal while the other is green like the rest of its body.

"Ragh!" I sprint at it hastily and swing my dagger at its one metal arm. The arm detaches quickly as I strike again at its chest, leaving an incision. The green mantis starts to dematerialize into shards as a screen appears in front of me. I am awarded with _352 Exp and 180 Col_. It's an OK prize for one monster. I climb up one of the trees and gaze past its canopy. The sight of another floor amazes me. Above me, there are people in floors twice as high as this one fighting to end this death game. The thought itself is enough to make me sleepy.

"Good night…" I close my eyes and fall asleep without a care in the world.

* * *

><p>A soft sensation is touching my lips. My arms are held down so I can't move them. I open my eyes to see the message that tells me that someone is touching me and I can send them into the <em>Black Iron Palace<em>. The thing is, I can't accept it because my hands are held down. I peek past the message to see a girl's face against mine. Her slender body is frozen as her lips are stuck to mine. Her eyes are closed with pleasure. My brain finally catches up, a girl is kissing me. This is very immorally wrong. She finally lets me go.

"W-What are you doing?!" I exclaim. The message that appeared earlier is now gone. I stare at the girl before my eyes. She wears a black miniskirt with a green long-sleeved shirt. She doesn't have much armor other than a silver breastplate. Her black hair is tied back in a ponytail, although, it is still messy. She leans in for another kiss.

"Wait just a moment!" I try to push her away. We struggle as the edge is coming closer.

"Ah!" We both scream in terror as our bodies start to plummet towards the ground. I shut my eyes, thinking it'll soften the impact.

I open my eyes to see the girl sitting on her knees in front of me.

"My name is Ai, nice to meet you." She speaks. Is she mocking me or something? She just kissed me! I unsheathe my blade and ready myself to strike.

"What do you think you were doing?" I question her. She looks directly into my eyes and stays frozen.

"Kissing you, what else?" I touch my lips and glare back at her.

"Why?!" I exclaim.

"It was love at first sight."

"Love?! I'm sorry but I'm not into anything like that!"

"Do you have a place to stay? There's a nice inn back in town. You can stay there." Her smile lightens the mood. Her eyes glisten in the darkness as her hair sways in the wind. I guess, I owe her one, though. She didn't try to sleep PK me.

"Fine, show me this inn of yours," I reply reluctantly.

Her smile grows even wider now. "Come on!" She hops onto her feet. "Follow me!" I listen to and run after her.

* * *

><p>We arrive in <em>Lunril<em>, a nice cozy town in the 20th floor. The streets are packed with merchandise. The cobblestone roads and lanterns add to the feeling of romance. It is absolutely beautiful for a low level town. We stop at our destination, an inn called_ Cloudborn Inn_. The inside is decorative with many lanterns, tables, and chairs. We both rent separate rooms. I walk into my room and get ready to sleep. Just as I'm about to undress myself, I hear a knocking.

"Yes?" I call out.

"It's me, Ai, I would like to talk for a second." I think for a moment before opening the door.

"So... what's up?" I sit down on my bed which is as soft as a cloud, hence the name _Cloudborn Inn_.

She follows me and also sits on the bed. "You never introduced yourself…"

I stare at her for a second. "Oh, sorry, I'm Kokoro. Sorry for being mean at first. It's just that you surprised me. Although, don't get me wrong, I'm still not into that." We both didn't have any armor on, considering that it would be very uncomfortable if we still wore it. "Is that all?"

"No," she responds. I stare at her, waiting for a more elaborate answer. In return, she pushes me down onto the bed, locking me in place. The message appears once again, but I'm unable to move. She kisses me once again, this time it was a long one. The soft sensation gives me slight pleasure as I struggle a little. I start to feel somewhat drowsy. I struggle to keep my eyes open as my body gives in. I fall asleep.


	2. A Date

I awake from my unpredicted slumber. I seem to be laying in the bed with a nice blanket covering me. I turn to my side.

"Ah!" I notice that Ai is sleeping right next to me. I instantly jump out of the bed. She slowly rises from her sleep.

"Good morning, well, after-waaaah," she yawns loudly while in the middle of saying afternoon. Her hair isn't tied in a ponytail right now, it's flowing down behind her back. She is sleeping is her underwear, it seems that I'm also sleeping in my underwear too.

"Where did my clothes go?" I ask her.

"They should be in your inventory. Sorry for taking your clothes off without permission. You might also want to turn on your ethics code."

"What did you do to me?!" I exclaim, crossing my arms over my breasts in an attempt to cover them.

"Nothing," she is obviously lying. Although it is very wrong to do something like she did, I don't really mind because the only thing I'm worried about is survival. A message pops up in front of me. It says that Ai wants to create a party with me.

"Why?" I question her motives.

"I want to spend more time with you," her answer makes me feel warm, too warm.

"Well," I hesitate my answer, "I guess I will for now." What am I doing? Why are her words making me feel so warm inside? I never had an attraction to other girls before. If I feel an attraction, why does it awaken now? I accept the invitation.

"Let's go!" She is already dressed and ready to go.

"Let me get dressed first." I put on my black thigh-highs, jean shorts, and an iron breastplate with a green tank-top underneath. "Let's go."

We exit our rooms and get some food. After eating, we explore this town some more. The market is full of people right now so we head for the wilderness.

The _Sunshine Forest _is always a great place to go, but this time we teleport to another floor. The floor we teleport to is floor 49, since it is Christmas (which I totally forgot about), we travel here to Ai's house in the town _Myujen_.

* * *

><p>"Wow!" I am in awe by the decorative lights and the large Christmas tree in the middle of the central market. "Thanks for taking me here!" I thank Ai.<p>

"Haha, no problem, how about we visit a few gift shop kiosks and get some stuff?" She replies.

"Sure!" I nod in excitement. We arrive at a central of kiosks. Some sold cute clothes and others sold jewelry. We come across a snack kiosk. I stop in my tracks.

Ai notices me, "what's wrong, Kokoro?"

I'm practically drooling right now. I point to the kiosk, "can I have some?!"

She looks at the shop, "you want a donut?" Her expression shows that she is somewhat unsatisfied.

"Please?! I have never had such a sugary snack in the longest of time." I bet my eyes are sparkling right now.

"Go ahead... Get me one too!"

"Thank you!" I run towards the shop and buy two donuts. I then run back to Ai, and we sit down at a bench. As soon as I take a nip of the the donut, I instantly want it all. I devour it all in seconds. It seems that Ai did the same.

"That was delicious!" Ai exclaims joyfully.

I nod in agreement as my mouth is somewhat full with the donut. As soon as I finish I say, "let's stay go onto one of the roofs and sit down? Enjoy the view, you know?"

"Sure, let's go." She agrees with me.

* * *

><p>Ai makes her last step onto the the roof as I call out to her, "you're a bit slow! Aren't you an agility-based player?"<p>

She sits next to me, "not as much as you. I balance it out between the two since I don't really know which way to go."

"What weapon do you like to use?" I inquire.

"I like to use a Katana."

"How come you never have it equipped?"

"I don't know, honestly. I wish life could stay like this forever..."

"Huh?" I didn't catch what she said.

"Nothing… Hey, how about we go back to my place. It's a bit late."

"Sure, let's go."

* * *

><p>We arrive in Ai's home. It is quite nice, compared to the inns. The furniture is a deep chestnut color and there are some nice ornaments in celebration of Christmas.<p>

"Are you hungry?" Ai asks me.

"Sorry, but right now, I don't feel like eating. I feel exhausted." As I finish my sentence a message appears in front of me. It asks me to accept or decline Ai's friend request. I accept it unconsciously. Maybe it's because I had so much fun today.

"Okay, follow me." I stand there, confused at Ai's statement. I hesitantly follow. We reach a dimmed bedroom. Ai sits on the bed, "this'll be where you're sleeping tonight." I follow and sit beside her. She stares into my eyes and looks at my lips soon after. Why is she looking there? I then have the thought that she is thinking about kissing me.

"Wait a second." She starts moving towards me. I stay frozen. "What are y-" Her lips connect with mine. The same soft sensation is coursing through me with a warm feeling. This time I don't try to disconnect. We stay entwined for the longest of time.

Ai parts from me. "You didn't try to get away this time," she notices.

"That's because… Actually, I don't really know why," I reply. She falls onto of me and lays on top of me. I embrace her softly. I then notice that she has fallen asleep. I smile slightly and turn off the lamp beside me. I feel myself blushing. Do I like her? I think for a moment and come to a conclusion, "I think I do…" I whisper to myself as I fall asleep.


	3. Picnic

"Waaaah!" Ai yawns once again after I wake her up.

"Do you want to go on a picnic?" I ask her. I'm already dressed and ready to go. Ai slowly rises off of the bed and walks up to me in her underwear. I start to blush as she hugs me. She lets go and connects our lips. "What are y-" It lasts for a few seconds.

"A good morning kiss," she smiles brightly. "And yes, I do want to go on a picnic."

"C-Cool! Get dressed and let's go!" I start to get flustered. She opens her menu and equips her clothes. We walk outside and head towards the teleport gate. Just as I am about to say _Teleport!_, Ai questions me.

"Where are we teleporting to?" I start to realize my mistake.

"Oh! S-Sorry! We're teleporting to Floria on floor 47." I reply, flustered.

"Teleport, _Floria_!" We both say in unison.

* * *

><p>We arrive in the flowery plaza of <em>Floria<em>. "This is beautiful!" Ai exclaims the beauty of this floor. "I've never been here before!" She looks so cute like this. She sits on the fountain on the center of the plaza and signals me to sit down next to her. I follow.

"So… Do you like this place?" I ask her.

She turns to me, "are you kidding me?! Of course I like this place! It's so beautiful and lovely! Where are we going to have the picnic?!" She sound very excited.

"Okay, follow. Also, be careful because there are monsters."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine!" We both stand up and I take the lead. We stroll through the paths surrounded by the lush green hills that are covered by multicolored flowers. Out of nowhere a monster by the name of _Land Anemone _grabs me and dangles me. I start to squirm around the air, yelling at Ai for help. She quickly leaps to the rescue with her Katana and kills it instantly. I fall onto the ground and dust myself off. I then thank her for the rescue.

After a few minutes of walking we reach the designated location, a little safe area. I lay down a large picnic blanket and set out the food. I made some nice sandwiches and drinks just for today. I hand one to Ai. She thankfully accepts it and takes a bite. Then, she starts devouring it.

"Is it go-" I was about to ask her if it tastes good.

"Delicious!" I start eating too.

* * *

><p>"Hey," Ai speaks.<p>

"Yeah, what's up?" I answer as I sip my drink.

"Will you be m-" I instantly start choking.

"Sorry, what?"

"Will you be my girlfriend?" I saw it coming but I still flinched and blushed.

"W-Well… Uh... " I get lost in my tracks. I knew it was coming, but actually being asked that feels unreal. She scoots closer to me and comes up to my ear.

She bites my ear and whispers, "is it a yes… or a no?" I flinch a little when she whispers.

"Y-Yes," I answer her with a smile and a flushed face. She doesn't reply and instead embraces me. She slowly lets go and stares into my eyes. I close my eyes, waiting for it to happen. I feel a warmth on my lips, which means that she is kissing me. I stay in this position, waiting for her to let go. As I wait, I could feel a hand on my inner thigh. An electrical pulse surges pleasure throughout my body. Then… she lets go.

"Come on," she stands up. "Let's go home." Her voice is soft and her face is flushed. I nod my head, blushing the whole way through. I stand up, gather the picnic items, and put them in my inventory. We then make our way back to the teleport gate in _Floria_.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Kokoro, can I ask you another question?" She asks me on our way back.<p>

"Sure, what's up?" I respond, still smiling.

"We'll be lovers in the real world too, right? Not just in SAO?"

"What are you saying?" I stop walking, she turns to me. I look at her and squeeze her tightly between my arms. "Of course we will… I love you… No matter what… I'll always love you!"

I could feel her flinch, she looks at me with tears, "I-I'm so happy… It's the first time you said that… I love you too." We stay in each others arms for a while until it became dark. Afterwards, we teleport back to Ai's home.

* * *

><p>"What do you want to do tomorrow?" Ai asks me as we're sitting on the bed with our underwear on.<p>

"I don't know, as long as I'm with you, I'll be fine." We sit with our legs tangled with each other.

"Then, why don't we try combat? Let's go hunt!" Ai suggests.

"Good idea, I was running out of _Col_, too." I agree with her. She stares at my lips again. Instead of waiting, I take the initiative and kiss her. She falls onto the bed with me on her. Our lips stay entwined for a while. She then slowly disconnects. I embrace her tightly as my drowsiness tediously goes into effect. I fall into a slumber on top of her.


	4. Combative Love

I feel a hand caressing my hair as I wake from my plentiful sleep. "I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Ai misunderstands.

"No, you didn't," I smile and look into her eyes.

She smiles back at me while blushing. "Let's get ready to fight some monsters!"

I sit up and pump my fist in the air, "yeah!" I jump off the bed and equip my clothes.

We sprint outside and to the teleport gate. I've never fought in a part until yesterday so I'm excited. We teleport to the 20th floor and head into the _Sunshine Forest_, the place we first met.

* * *

><p>"Switch!" Ai yells out the order and I switch in. I learned about the switch ability today, so you could call me an amatuer. I execute a three part skill on the <em>Killer Mantis<em>. I first swing my dagger across its body, then flip over and do the same to its back. Afterwards, I stab it in the back and swing my body in front and slash its stomach. The health has gone from yellow to red to nothing in a few seconds.

I hear the celebratory jingle of the message that pops up. _352 Exp _and _180 Col_. "Alright! Let's move onto the next one!" We travel through the forest and search for more _Killer Mantises_.

I spot one, "let's go!" Ai nods, and I start the attack. First, I slide under it and give it a large incision in its back. Then I leap away and throw five picks into it. This was enough to get it down to yellow. "Switch!" I signal Ai.

She runs in with a katana and blocks the scythe. She parries it off to the side and swings her blade at its stomach. It screams in pain and terror, almost dead. She then activates a skill. She sheathes the blade and closes her eyes. I could tell that the _Killer Mantis _is closing in. She opens her eyes as it strikes. In an instant, a trail of fog appears behind her as she practically teleports behind it. Her blade is unsheathed. The mantis gives another shriek and has no health. The skill hasn't ended yet, though. She turns around and slashes its back diagonally, finishing it off. She turns to me and smiles, giving me a thumbs up.

I return it with another, "nice job, Ai!" I congratulate her.

Her expression changed quick, "Kokoro! Behind you!" I turn around quickly and a scythe slashes me across my chest. I fly back into Ai. My health is just below yellow, but I'm paralyzed.

"..." Ai glares at it with intense anger. This is no regular monster either. It is a rare _Killer Mantis _by the name of _Red Hierodula_. It is a much larger praying mantis that is red in color. Even the intimidating looks of the monster doesn't phase Ai.

She slowly unsheathes her katana and gets in a stance. The mantis charges and reaches her in milliseconds. She takes a little step the the right and dodges the scythe by a centimeter. She then spins clockwise and slashes it. The health bar loses about an 1/8th of its original size. She gets back into her stance. The mantis charges again. She jumps into the air and completely vanishes. My head goes blank, where did she go?!

I close my eyes for a moment as the mantis approaches me. Why? Where did she go? Why did she go?

* * *

><p>"Heal!" Ai's voice comes from where the mantis should be. "I'm sorry, I don't have an antidote crystal, we'll have to stay here for a little."<p>

I open my eyes as tears start to fall. "I-I was so scared…" My voice is trembling. Ai notices my pain right now. She leans in and quickly kisses me. After a few seconds she lets go.

"I'm sorry, Kokoro. I didn't mean to scare you like that. I'm sorry…" I could tell that she is on the verge of tears. She embraces me to hide them I could feel the warmth of her body. This is no virtual feeling, I could tell that this was real. Her emotions, my emotions, they are real; more real than anything in this world. The paralysis wears off. I tightly hold her.

* * *

><p>The sweet scent of Ai's home calms me down completely. I sit beside her with the comfort of the soft sofa.<p>

"Thanks for saving me, Ai," I thank her.

"No problem… It's not like I'm going to abandon you or anything." Ai reassures me.

"Anyways, what happened to the monster?" I ask out of curiosity.

She hesitates for a moment, "I sort of imploded it. It was a skill I learned. Although, It depletes nearly half your health. If it were on a higher floor, I would possibly be dead. But, hey, that's all in the past! I got a nice monster drop out of it too!" I tilt my head, signaling her to show me the spoils she received. She opens her menu and equips a new katana.

"Woah!" I stare at it in awe. The blade was slick like any other katana, but the handle and crossguard is extremely appealing to the eye. The grip is stylized with a bright red scarf around it. The scarf makes it look as if it had been drenched in fire. The scarf then escapes its reddish color as it orbits the blade; the scarf transitions into a dark black color. "What is it called?" I ask her.

"_Akai Kamakiri_; sounds cool right?" I nod as she stores it inside her inventory. "Let's go to sleep."

"Yeah, let's."

We head into her bedroom and sit with each other. Almost every night has been like this. I lean in and kiss her lips. I then disconnect and travel down her neck. I could tell she likes it. We fall onto the bed. I travel to her belly and kiss it repeatedly. I then make my way to her knee and kiss it. I kiss the back of her knee which makes her pleasured. I move a bit up towards her thigh and kiss it a few time. I stop and move back to her face. I kiss her lips and stay for a while. I let go and lay there in her arms, with a huge smile hidden from sight. I slowly drift into a comfortable slumber.


	5. Facing Past

After a few months of fun, I realized that we've never been shopping together. So I ask her about it and she agrees to go on a fun shopping spree with me. I hope it turns out fine.

* * *

><p>"Ai! Are you ready?" I walk into the room after preparing breakfast.<p>

"Yeah, are you finished cooking?" She asks.

"Yes."

"Awesome! I feel so hungry!" We run to the kitchen together and eat, talking about random things. So far, I've never asked her about her life before SAO. It is taboo to do that, but I'm too curious. I'm also planning to propose to her so maybe I'll ask her afterwards.

We finish our breakfast and start shopping. First, we shop for clothes. The floor that Ai's house is on has a great shopping center in one of the towns neighboring _Myujen_. So we head to that town.

* * *

><p>"Kokoro!" Ai hangs a cute red one-piece dress -for sleeping- up to her. "How does it look?" She tilts her head and smiles. If she were to wear that her legs would be exposed more than her miniskirt is exposing. That would be extremely unbearable for me, I wouldn't be able to hold myself back.<p>

I blush and become somewhat flustered at the thought. "I-It looks very cute…"

She notices the blush and grins. She heads into the changing room. She then comes out with a flushed face, which is surprising. "I-It looks cute… Right?"

My blush and embarrassment heads into an extensive level; my face is completely red now. "Y-Yes, very…" We both become very silent for a few seconds.

"I-I'll go try the other clothes on real quick!" She rushes back into the changing room. She comes out with a red bikini this time. "Is this cute?"

"That looks stunning. They actually sell swimming apparel?" I am more surprised than anything else.

"Yeah, apparently." She puts on a few more attires and asks me, "which one should I buy?"

"The cute one-piece!" My eyes are probably sparkling right now.

"B-But it's a bit showy isn't it?"

"Wear some thigh-highs or… Wait no. Actually, keep your legs exposed."

She lets out a giggle, "How about we chose some clothes for you?"

"Eh?" She grabs my hand and shoves me into the changing room, hurling cute clothing onto me. After about an hour of trying on and checking out clothing, we head to lunch. I open my inventory and grab two sandwiches; I hand one to Ai. We both sit down on a nearby bench and start eating away. Next we go to shop for some potions, replenishing our stock. As we step away from the kiosk, two guys approach us.

"Hey, ladies, you wanna join our party?" They're trying to get with us.

"Sorry, we're already taken," I state.

"It would be best if you go with us though," the other one smirks and tries to grab me. His move is interrupted by Ai's katana. The man is hurled into his friend and they fly back. "You bitch!" A few more men surround us.

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into…" Ai glance at me and nods. I nod back, pulling out my dagger. They charge us; I flip over them, looking to flank. They're caught off guard and fall into a trap. Ai takes one half and I take the other. They both fly a few meters away and run for their lives.

I look back at Ai and smile happily, "haha! Stupid idiots! "

"Kokoro, let's go back home for now, okay? I feel like more are going to pop up if we stay here." She looks worried so I agree and we head back to her home.

* * *

><p>"Ai, is there something wrong?" We sit on the sofa in a very uncomfortable atmosphere.<p>

She looks up at me, "oh sorry. It's nothing. We'll continue our shopping tomorrow. I know it's a bit early but I feel sleepy. I'm going to go to bed…" She drifts into sleep as she finishes. I grab a blanket and cover her. I then head back to the shopping center since I still have to get one last thing.

* * *

><p>I talk to the NPC manning the kiosk, "welcome! What would you like?" The man has a voice like a typical male merchant. I pick a two rings that I would like for Ai and I to wear and buy them "Thank you! Come again!" The NPC does his usual task. I head back to Ai's home.<p>

Before I could reach the teleport gate, about six guys surround me. They are wearing cloaks and bandages. I've heard about them before, _Laughing Coffin_, is their guild name. They're a major PK guild in SAO; people I don't want to get mixed with.

"What do you want?" I try to escape but they block all exits.

"Don't you remember what happened earlier today?" One of them speaks.

"Are you talking about the 'flirtatious' idiots we encountered?"

"Haha, so that is you. Well, we settle this two ways. One: You give me all of your armor, money, weapons, and your body."

"I would never accept such a stupid option."

"Let me finish!" He smacks me across the face and I fall. "Two: We kill you, taking your armor, money, and weapons. Your choice, little lady."

"I'd rather pick the second one. It's not like you can kill me right now. Anyways, if you try to PK me outside of towns I'd kill you. So let me give you a choice. Run or die." I glare daggers into them.

"She's right, it's not like we can kill her now if we tried. Should we retreat and wait for her to be in the wilderness?" I could her one of them whispering to another.

"Fine, little lady, you just wait." They back off and teleport elsewhere.

I slump onto the ground, "waaah! That was really scary! Hahaha!" I couldn't tell if I were relieved or nervous or both. I walk back to the teleport gate and go back to Ai.

* * *

><p>I knock on the door, hearing Ai's voice calling out, "coming!" She opens the door and practically breaks into tears. "Where were you?! I was so worried!" She clings onto me.<p>

"Sorry, there was something I had to buy…" My voice travels off.

"I said we could wait until tomorrow!"

"This was something I had to buy alone."

"What did you buy that is so important?!" She still sounds very worried.

"Sorry, you'll have to wait to see."

"Fine, come in and sit down. I have to tell you something," she sound somewhat disappointed. We head into the bedroom and undress into our underwear; well, this time, Ai has that red one-piece she bought today. We sit down on the bed, legs tangled with each other.

"So, what did you have to tell me?" I ask her.

"Yeah… You met a few _Laughing Coffin_ members today, right?" That name leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

"Yeah, they were a bunch of idiots. Why?"

"I have an existing problem concerning them." I look at her, confused. "I-I used to be in that guild... I've never PK'd anyone... I only assisted them," she sounds as if she's choking," I left the guild slightly before I met you. I was one," she coughs, "one of the first in that guild too... I would always paralyze the victim and... and leave them for the others to take care of. I thought that... I-I should let you know this... a-and that I'm sor-" I embrace her tightly and don't let go. I could tell that this is hard for her, she's probably bawling right now. There is nothing I can do to comfort her, but accept that she used to be in _Laughing Coffin_.

Although she has escaped their grasps, that doesn't mean that she is completely unchained; I should acknowledge that. "Ai, don't worry. I don't care whether or not you were in a PK guild or not. What matters is here and now, nothing else. Who you are now is who you really are. If you need help from me in any sort of way, tell me… I love you," I whisper in her ear as I embrace her.

"Kokoro!" She tightens her grips as she cries. I try my best to comfort her.

"No matter what. No matter past or present. I will always love you. You are my one true love. Nothing will come between us. May it be death himself, I will always love you. Remember me when we leave this dreadful world. We'll leave this world together. We'll live. We'll survive."


	6. Facing Present

I awake after a dramatic night with Ai. She isn't on the bed with me so I clothe myself and walk out of the bedroom, thinking Ai is in the kitchen. For some reason she isn't there either so I check the other rooms.

Bathroom, nope. Living room, nope. That's weird, I feel somewhat scared now. I open up my menu and press on Ai's name. Since my _Search Skill_ is high, I can track her. I press the button and green fluorescent footsteps appear. I follow them.

"Ai!" I yell out her name as I follow the footsteps, hoping that she is out shopping. Ai, where could you be. Her footsteps lead me to the teleport gate. It says that she's currently on the 22nd floor. I teleport there.

* * *

><p>"Ai! Answer me Ai! Please!" I run around the town, <em>Lunril<em>, wishing that she would appear out of nowhere. "Ai! Please!" I start to get random stares from other players. The trail leads me out of the town and into the wilderness. The_Sunshine Forest_, where we first met, is where I arrive. I seek throughout the forest, trying to locate Ai's location.

* * *

><p>After about half an hour of running I spot Ai. At first I thought about running up to her, but something seems wrong. Ai is crouching behind a tree eyeing a cave. Inside that cave are many people at least five -no, ten people. They all have cloaks, there is only one explanation: they are part of <em>Laughing Coffin<em>, and she is planning to attack them, to kill them all. I slowly approach her.

"Ai," I whisper as I grab her shoulder.

She reached for her katana, stopping midway when she notices me. "Kokoro?! What are you doing here? It's dangerous you know," She whispers back.

"I was too worried. I couldn't leave you here to die… Are you going to kill them?" I point to the members of the _Laughing Coffin_.

"I have to. They're a PK guild. Justice has to be done. They have to die." She sounds determined. I don't want to kill anyone, but if I don't help Ai might die; many more people may die too.

"Ai, I'll help you," I come to my conclusion.

"No no no, you go back to my house and sit quietly. I can't have you dying or getting in my way." Her eyes are burning.

"I can't have you dying either, you know. Right now, the only real reason I want to live is because of you. If we die, we die together. If we survive, we survive together."

"Fine, follow me closely." She silently moves from one tree to another as the PK members are chatting amongst themselves. All but one of them have an orange cursor. That one also looks different too. No cloak, muscular, handsome, heavy armor, spear; the type of guy some ladies would go for.

Ai stops in her tracks and signals me to stop. "What's wrong?" I ask her.

"This is a perfect position to attack. There is no way to do this stealthily so, are you ready?" I nod my head in agreement. Ai jumps around the tree and starts to attack them They turn around in confusion, readying themselves. When Ai is about halfway there, about two of them are hurled into the air and vanish into blue shards. About half of them turn around to greet their other attacker.

"Daiki?! What the hell?! I thought you were with us!" One of the members yell at the man with the green cursor,

"Haha, too bad for you, I'm only here to kill you guys," he grins while he defends against another player.

"You asshole!" They charge him. Since they all charged at once, their attacks interfere with each other. Ai confronts the others without using any skills. I join her, protecting her flank. Two of the orange members try to attack me. I dodge their slashes and jab one of them repeatedly in the chest. After a flurry of stabs, his health bar lowers to half. The other slashes me across the back. I fall forward and recover myself. I grab four picks and lob two of them to each one. They both stagger a little and start the charge.

I lodge my dagger into one of them and flip over him, blade slashing through the body the whole time. His health is depleted in an instant; his body disappears into blue shards.

"You bitch!" The other one charges me with his Scimitar-looking sword. Out of nowhere the man called Daiki shatters his sword with his Naginata type weapon. He then pushes his weapon into and through his enemy. The PK member's eyes widen with confusion and anger. He then shatters into shards. It seems that Ai also finished with her attackers. We sheathe our weapons.

"Um… Daiki, is it? Why are you helping us?" I feel confused.

"Oh, I'm part of an organization that is plotting to destroy the PK guilds. I have to report this to the lead group after this," he answers.

"PoH! Get back here!" Ai yells at something in the trees. I avert my eyes towards that direction. I notice another _Laughing Coffin _member there. I heard rumors about this guy too. PoH, leader of the most notorious PK guild, _Laughing Coffin_. One of the most dangerous Player-killers. Someone you don't want to mess with.

Ai takes off after him. Daiki yells at her, "no! Don't! It's a trap!" She doesn't hear him and keeps the chase. "Shit! We have to get to her!" I nod in agreement.

Ai disappears after a few minutes. I try to track her again. It seems that she is close, but somewhere else. I follow her footsteps.

* * *

><p>When we reach her, she is laying on the ground, paralyzed. Next to her is PoH with his cleaver, getting ready to kill her.<p>

"PoH! Get away from her!" Daiki yells at him.

He clicks his tongue, "we'll meet again…" He sprints away, leaving us with Ai. Daiki heals her and helps her up. She thanks him.

"Ai!" We hug each other at our short reunion. "What were you thinking? Attacking them?!"

"Sorry, Kokoro, I had too. It wouldn't feel right if I didn't."

"It's fine… Hey, Daiki, can you keep us being here a secret?"

"Why? Wait, you know what? I'll keep it a secret. Hurry back to wherever you came from. Goodbye," he pulls out a teleport crystal and teleports to another floor. We travel back to _Lunril_ and teleport to _Myujen_.

* * *

><p>"Here, stew!" I set out the pot on the table. I lift the lid and the gourmet smell fills the room.<p>

"Mmmm! This smells so good!" I give a bowl to her and a bowl for me. I then get a few other things for a nice meal. We finish our meal, chatting about random things.

* * *

><p>We climb onto our bed, only wearing our underwear. Ai lays down and I sit on top of her. We kiss each other for a few minutes. Then, I let go.<p>

"Hey, are you done with them?" I ask her.

"With who?" Ai answers.

"With _Laughing Coffin_."

"Oh… Yeah, I'm done with them. I don't want to get involved with them anym-" I kiss her before she finishes. I part away, our faces centimeters away.

"Promise?"

"Yes, I promise," she smiles and embraces me. I put her lips against mine. Our hips touch, fingers entwined. After a few minutes we lay there together, embraced in each others' arms. Our day ends, cuddled together, love swirling around us. We have made progress with our relationship, our love.


	7. Sunset

I feel a great sensation as I awake from my slumber. I look around, trying to locate its source. As I do so, the sensation lingers. I look at my knee and notice that Ai is licking the back of it. As I thought, the back of the knee feels great.

"Ai," I talk to her.

"Mm?" She is still licking the back if my knee, traveling up to my thigh.

"U-Um… C-Can you stop? I-It feels too good."

She stops abruptly, leaving me in a void. "Okay, that's good, it feels good for you," she grins, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind whe-"

"Hold up a moment! Before that happens, we have to talk."

Ai sits up, "what is it?"

"Today... Let's go somewhere to watch the sunset."

She smiles, "sure," and nods her head. We both dress ourselves and eat a quick breakfast. We then exit Ai's house.

"So… what do today while we wait for the sunset?" I ask her. We only have a few hours since we slept longer than usual.

"Hm… Well, first, we should by you new underwear. The one you are currently wearing is the what you start out with, right?"

"Yeah, but why does that matter?"

She only smiles and takes off towards the stores. I call out to her and follow her.

* * *

><p>After passing a few jewelry and food kiosks, we arrive at the lingerie store. We open the doors and enter the room full of underwear and nightclothes.<p>

"So, Kokoro, which one do you want to buy?" Ai asks me.

"I don't know… Maybe white or black?"

"Okay, I'll pick some out for you." She walks around and picks some underwear for me. She picks out innocent white ones and seducing black ones. I pick a mix of the two colors, revealing a monochrome pair of underwear. I head to the changing room and try out the underwear we picked out. I come out with the black ones first. Everytime I come out, we both stare at each other with flushed faces. I then try out the white ones. I come out with a blushed, embarrassed face and Ai stares at me with sparkles in her eyes and thumbs up. I then try out the monochrome one. It is somewhat cute and revealing, leaving Ai speechless and flushed.

I buy the monochrome underwear and we head out of the shop. We then take a nice walk, chatting about the things that have happened so far. We take a seat after half an hour of walking.

"Ai?"

"Yeah?" She responds

"Have you ever fallen for any other girl before?"

"No, you are the first and will be the only one."

"Then did you like guys before?"

She thinks for a moment, "I didn't really care about love before... Once I saw you, I felt an unusual feeling awakening inside of me. I didn't know what to think about it. It was a very strong feeling that couldn't let its grip go. As soon as our lips met for the first time, that strong, gripped feeling instantly turned into a nice feeling of warmth swirling inside my heart. Your cute voice and personality practically made me fall in love in one fell swoop."

"Wow, I didn't know that it was like that."

"Did you think I went from one girl to another?"

"W-What? No! Of course not!"

Ai giggles, "I was just kidding," she smiles brightly at me. She scoots closer to me and put her hand against my face, touching my hair with her fingers. She closes her eyes and leans in. As she does that, I notice that a few players -mostly male- starting to stare.

"Ai… People are staring…" I whisper to her. She doesn't open her eyes and grins. Her lips instantly touch mine. We fall onto the bench and she is on top me. She doesn't stop kissing me. Our armor are making noises as she continues to make out with me. She then stops and stares at me with a blush. A crowd has formed around us and I could hear whistling and weird comments.

"What now? Do we keep going?" She asks me.

"Keep going?! People are watchi-" She continues with her offense and I take it head on. I could hear the cheers of the crowd. I feel weird and good at the same time as we continue. I could feel Ai slowly parting away.

"Let's go now," she suddenly leaves the area, holding my hand. We walk for a while before stopping.

"Why did we do that?" I ask her.

"I'm not too sure honestly... I felt some lust for you and decided to act," she responds.

"It's about 17:30 right now. We woke up pretty late, didn't we?"

"Yeah, we did. The sunset should be coming soon. Shall we go?"

"Yeah, let's go."

* * *

><p>I take Ai to the place we first met, the <em>Sunshine Forest<em>. We walk for a while before we find a perfect tree. We then scale the tree and sit on top of it, revealing the perfect view of the sun setting. As I take a deep breath, a message appears in front of me. It says that Ai wants to trade with me so I accept it, thinking of it as the perfect chance to give her a ring and propose. I select the ring and add it to the trade. I take a deep breath once more before proposing.

"Will you marry me?" Ai and I both say in unison.

"What?" We do the same thing twice. Without noticing, Ai has also added a ring to the trade. We both bubble with laughter.

After calming down, we both look at each other with huge, bright smiles. "Yes," we both say as our bodies embrace.

* * *

><p>"So… we are officially married now, huh?" We are eating a nice dinner set out by Ai in her house.<p>

"Yep. I didn't think it would work out this smoothly," Ai takes another bite.

"Life is full of surprises, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Who would've thought that we'd both propose at the same time."

"Yeah… Hey, Ai… Do you think you could tell me about your real life?"

She looks at me for a little before answering, "wow... Life really is full of surprises... I thought you'd never ask me this question. Can we talk about it after we eat?" I nod in agreement.

* * *

><p>We both sit on the comfortable bed, facing each other.<p>

"Can you tell me about yourself?" I pose the question.

"Okay, you ready?" I nod and she clears her throat. "Okay, so... I was born into a somewhat rich family. I had no interest in love and the like, and my parents tried to arrange marriages with men of high social power. Most of them didn't work out, but one... This man was extremely rich and somewhat famous. Although he was all that... he abused me and treated me poorly. My parents didn't know about the abuse and wanted me to marry him desperately. To counteract that: I bought Sword Art Online to escape that reality and join this one..."

"Wow, I don't know what to say…"

"My story really isn't anything, honestly. I was rich and had an abusive rich boyfriend, so I took an alternative way out. Somewhat cliche if you ask me… Anyways, since I told you about me, how about you tell me about you."

"Are you sure?" She nods to confirm her choice. "Okay then… I lived in an okay neighborhood with very little problems... I played with my baby siblings all the time, then, I heard about SAO and the full-dive experience. I was very intrigued and bought myself the hardware and game. Afterwards, I got stuck in this world."

"Oh… That's good; you got me worried over nothing. I thought it was going to be a sob story."

"Glad I didn't worry you… Hey, your life has me worried though. What happens when we get back to the real world. Won't your parents and boyfriend get angry at you?"

"Haha, don't worry about it. We'll cross that bridge when we get there, right?" I nod and lean in. Our lips meet once again and we fall onto the bed, leaving the day behind us.


	8. Dream

Ai sits at the dinner table with her parents. They are discussing marriage matters with her. Ai, of course, isn't phased by these marriage meetings and attends them; only to reject those who she's meeting with. She thinks for a moment and agrees to another marriage meeting. She then waits for tomorrow, the day of another marriage meeting.

* * *

><p>She walks into the bathroom and looks at herself in the mirror. <em>Do I really want to do this? <em>Ai thinks to herself. She then shakes her head and undresses. She turns on the shower and steps in.

After about fifteen minutes, she steps out and grabs the towel to dry herself, wrapping herself in it. She also brushes her teeth. She puts down the toothbrush and stares into the foggy mirror. She stands there for a moment and wipes it clean. It reveals a face of a girl who isn't true to herself. She doesn't know what she wants to do and what _to _do. She exits the bathroom.

"Good morning, Maki-_sama_," her female butler greets her.

"Ah, good morning, Inoue-_san_," Ai responds.

"I am told that you'll have to skip breakfast at home for today."

"Why?"

"Your parents told me to get you dressed and ready for the marriage meeting. You will have to eat at the location of the meeting. Now, come. Your clothes are in your room," her butler, Inoue, is followed by Ai as they walk to Ai's room.

_"__Hey, Inoue. I really want a scarf. Could you buy one for me? A nice red one if you can," Ai hopes Inoue remembers what she asked for yesterday._

They arrive in Ai's room. The room is filled with expensive furniture, etc. They walk over to the mirror and Ai drops her towel, revealing a beautiful body. She grabs the underwear and puts them on. Inoue walks to her with a dress full of elegance. She helps Ai put it on. Inoue styles her hair to look beautiful and mature.

After Ai is dressed she looks herself in the mirror, twirling around. The dress is deep red and is frilly. Although she usually hates these dresses, she seems to have a mysterious liking to this one; it looks cute on her.

She turns to Inoue, "how does it look?"

"It looks very cute and beautiful, Maki-_sama_."

"Hey, Inoue-_san_... Can you stop calling me _sama_? You can call me by my first name… It feels uncomfortable like this."

"Okay… Ai-_san_… Is that better?"

Ai giggles a little, "yeah, way better, Inoue-_chan_!" She hugs Inoue happily.

"T-Thank you... Anyways, your parents are waiting for you outside. It would be best to meet them now if you don't want to make them angry."

"Okay, let's go!" Ai and her butler makes their way outside the large house to greet Ai's parents.

"Good morning, Ai. Are we good to go now?" Her father asks her.

"Yes, sorry for being late," she responds and steps into the car. They then ride towards their destination, a hotel.

* * *

><p>Inoue opens the hotel door for Ai and her parents. Apparently, there is a party going on and her parents leaves Inoue with Ai as they head off on their own. Ai and Inoue walk to Ai's marriage meeting partner on the twenty-seventh floor of the hotel. The whole hotel is owned by the Himura family; the family in which her partner is heir to. The elevator doors open and five guys are chatting to each other with glasses of wine in their hands. One of them stands up and walks towards Ai.<p>

He drops to one knee and grabs a hold of Ai's hand, "Maki Ai-_san_, I presume?" He kisses it. Ai blushes for an instant. This man looks handsome and smells of expensive cologne.

"Yes, I am Maki Ai. Are you who I am to meet with?"

"Yes, Ai-_san_. My name is Himura Isamu, nice to meet you," he smiles.

"Shall we discuss a ou-"

"No, there is no need. My parents and yours have already agreed. For now, let's just have some fun," he grabs Ai's hands and walks away. She glances back at Inoue with gleaming eyes. Inoue instantly grabs Isamu's wrist. He looks back at Inoue and pushes her off. "You, servent. Lay your hand off of me and my lady. I order you to go back to your masters or you may face punishment by me," he glares at Inoue.

Ai looks at Inoue with glimmering eyes. _Inoue-__chan__, please help me_.

"I'm sorry, Ai-_san_," she walks back in the elevator and disappears.

"Now, where were we at?" Isamu holds my face up to his. His thumb is caressing her lips as he stares into her eyes. _Inoue…_ He puts a hand on her waist and another on her neck. He closes in on her face. His lips meet with her's. _This sensation doesn't feel right. It makes me feel sick._ Ai bites his lip angrily and disgusted. "Ah! What the hell was that for?!" He smacks her across the face. "I didn't want to have to do this the hard way," he pulls out a medicine bottle. She could tell he's going to try to drug her..

"Inoue!" Ai screams for help. As soon as she calls out, something black flashes before her. Isamu is thrown into a couch, and Inoue appears in front of Ai with her fists clenched. The other four charge her with intense rage. Inoue disperses them easily.

At the corner of Ai's eye, she notices blood in the air. "Ah!" Inoue yells in pain as she falls onto the floor with a thump. Ai averts her eyes toward Inoue. She is on the ground with a knife in her chest. Ai holds her in her arms.

"Hey! Inoue-_chan_! Stay with me!" Tears flow down her face.

"A-Ai-_san_… I-It hurts… It hurts a lot… Please…" Her voice drifts into a void.

"Inoue!" She calls out to her. The larger the pool of blood gets, the farther away she is from her.

"Bitch…" Isamu grabs Ai by her waist and forces a few pills in her mouth. She falls asleep soon after.

* * *

><p>Ai opens her eyes and groans from a slight headache. She completely lost consciousness and her memories of yesterday. <em>Was I drunk?<em> She thinks to herself. She does her daily routine and steps into the dining room. _Huh? Where's Inoue? Maybe she's oversleeping…_ She sits at the table with her parents.

"Is Inoue-_san _awake yet? If not I'll go wake her up," Ai asks them.

"No. Don't. We have something to tell you, Ai," her father replies.

"Yes, father?"

"Inoue-_san_ passed away last night. She died in an accident. The cause of her death is sti-" Ai quickly stands up and sprints straight to Inoue's room. "Wait! Ai!" Her parents call after her. Ai opens the door to Inoue's room. All she sees is incense and a few pictures of Inoue and her time with Ai's family.

Ai's father barges into the room to discover his daughter in tears. "Ai!" He embraces her to comfort her as much as possible. "I know it's hard for you, Ai, but everyone has their time. It's just that her's is a bit early." He unwraps a small wrapping, revealing a beautiful red scarf with a piece of paper.

_Dear Ai, _

_I hope you like this scarf you asked for! If you have any problems with it, please do not refrain to ask me! _

_-Inoue_

"Inoue!" Ai's voice is muffled as her face is buried in the scarf made by her best friend.


	9. Comfort

I could hear the muffled cries of Ai as I embrace her tightly. She seems to be having a nightmare, I hope I can comfort her more than this.

"Inoue…" I could hear someone's name leave her mouth as she quietly settles down. Now, she's sleeping soundly, she looks so cute too.

I smile and comb her hair with my fingers. "It's okay, Ai, it's okay…" I stare at her for a while. She looks so cute, I can barely hold myse- I lean in and kiss her.

"Hm?!" Ai jolts upward after a few seconds. "W-What?!"

"O-Oh, you're awake… Sorry I kissed you without your permission," I apologize.

"N-No, it's fine. I just wasn't expecting it, that's all."

"Anyways, are you okay? You were crying in your sleep."

"Sorry, it was a really bad nightmare… About something in the past... About someone dying; now that I know how she died, I have to go back. "

"Can you tell me? I want to help you…"

"Okay… Something happened when I went to my last marriage meeting. Someone I knew from when we were kids... Her name was Inoue and I grew up with her. My parents took her in and raised her... To repay that debt, she decided to work as our butler… At the marriage meeting with that abusive boyfriend I was talking about… H-He killed her… He killed I-Inoue…" Her voice drifts into tears. I embrace her tightly.

"Ai… Sorry for making you bring something like this up… I will help you no matter what. I will do anything to comfort you. Just please, don't get yourself killed…"

"Kokoro…" She wipes her tears and burrows herself into my chest," thank you… Thank you for being there for me... Thank you for everything…" She looks up into my eyes with tears flowing. I wipe them off with my fingers and kiss her. She puts a hand on my waist and we fall onto the bed together. We stay there for a while, lips entwined and exchanging occasional glances. She parts away from my lips and looks at me. "Thank you, Kokoro," she smiles and blushes.

I take a look at the time, "haha, it's only 1:00. Should we sleep?"

"Yeah, I still feel a little groggy." She gives me a goodnight kiss and we embrace each other. Our bodies warm each other as our mind fall into a deep slumber.

* * *

><p>We both start eating the breakfast that I set out, letting random conversation flow in and out. As we finish, we are brought with the conflict of not knowing what to do.<p>

"Hey, Kokoro. What are we doing today?" Ai asks me as we exit the house.

"I don't know, let's just take a walk for now. I'll think of something," I respond and she nods her head. The wooden door closes with a slight thump and our shoes make a soft sound as we step down the steps. We walk down the neighborhood of similar houses and reach the marketplace. As we walk through, we occasionally stop to look at glimmering weapons and armor, jewelry, and tasty foods.

"Let's buy one!" Kokoro notices a kiosk selling some cute jewelry.

"Which ones do you want?" I approach the kiosk.

"Matching bracelets!" She says excitedly. I listen to her and buy two matching red bracelets. I give one to her and equip it. We exit the vicinity of that kiosk and walk around some more.

"Do you want to visit any other floors?" I ask her.

"I know of a few. I've actually been wanting to visit the 24th and the 27th floor; I've heard they're both really beautiful," she answers.

"Which one do you want to visit first?"

"Let's go to _Panareze_, on the 24th floor."

"Okay, let's head to the teleport gate then!" We both make our way to _Myujen_'s teleport gate.

* * *

><p>"Teleport, <em>Panareze<em>!" We both say in unison as our bodies start to warp to our destination.

We arrive in the town of _Panareze_. The town is located on a man-made island, connected through an archipelago and a series of floating bridges . We walk around the island, mesmerized by the other islands and the blue reflection of the sky on the water. We then proceed to visit the other islands, stopping at each one to stare into the blue sea.

* * *

><p>After several hours of walking around, our stomachs feel a need for food as we stop on a nice island. The island has a few very large trees and a small path that leads to a nice little clearing.<p>

"Hey, I'm hungry, do you have anything to eat?" Ai asks me.

"Yeah," I dig through my inventory and take out a small picnic. I place it on the ground, and it automatically sets itself out.

"Whoa! You do have food with you! What did you make?"

"I made a few sandwiches, croquettes, and I also packed some drinks. Take some." We dig into the food set out in front of us.

* * *

><p>"Ah… That tasted good," Ai opens her menu and peeks at the time, "it's 15:30. We should head back to the teleport gate and see ourselves to <em>Ronbaru<em>."

"Okay," I pack the leftover items into my inventory and stand up. We both make our way back to the teleport gate, conversing throughout.

* * *

><p>At about 20:15, we arrive in the town of <em>Ronbaru<em> on the 27th floor. The town is located in a valley, close to a ravine and looks as if carved from rock. A sole campfire illuminates the airy night as we walk around the beautiful town. There aren't many large building, only a small workshop, a shop, and an inn.

"Woah… this place looks really beautiful at night," I say to Ai.

"Yeah, I know right? This is why I wanted to go to _Panareze _first, and leave this for nighttime," she replies.

"Let's go to the top of the inn! It'll be like our first Christmas! Without the actual setting of Christmas, that is…"

"Okay! Meet you there then! I've been leveling up my agility stat since then, I may beat you this time!" We both take off in the direction of the inn, scaling its cyan stone.

We both lay on the roof of the inn, taking in the feeling of a night festival and the nice breeze circulating through this somewhat lively town.

I start to think back to our time together. "It's been about a year now, hasn't it?"

"Hmm?" She answers.

"You know, how long we've known each other."

"Oh, wow, it's already been that long?"

"Yeah…" We both stare at the town, noticing people drinking, singing, and having fun. We both look at each other with smiles. We then lean in for a short kiss.

After sitting on the roof for a while, we head into the inn and rent ourselves a room. We then put our night clothes on, give each other a goodnight kiss, and cuddle with each other.

"Thanks for today, Kokoro," she thanks me for my try at comforting her.

"No problem, Ai. I'm glad today was fun for you." We smile at each, our mind closing for a refreshing slumber.


	10. Old Acquaintance

**_Note: The **** in the message are the floor number/names of towns. I wasn't really sure what to put for it, so yeah._**

* * *

><p>A few months pass by, leading us into August, 2024. Ever since the day I went out to comfort Ai, practically no conflicts arose, until now.<p>

* * *

><p>"What do you want?" Ai sits beside me and glares daggers into the familiar man.<p>

"Sorry for abducting you like that," he responds apologetically. "I'm Daiki, I'm sure you don't remember me."

"I remember you. You helped us out with the _Laughing Coffin_ members," I correct him.

"Yeah, well I want your help on this coalition against them. I noticed that you two handled yourselves well back then," he then bows, "please! Help us out during the raid!"

Ai and I glance at each other, confused. "U-Um, I'm sure the raid team would feel insecure if they have a former _Laughing Coffin_ member with them," Ai responds.

Daiki looks up, "don't worry about that! I didn't expose that to them! Hell! They don't even know I know you two!" He assures us.

We look at each other once again, then nod in agreement. "Alright! If you need our help, you've got it!" Daiki looks at us with joy.

"Thanks, you two! It would look weird if I went in there without a party with me, so if you could…" A message appears in front of me, stating that Daiki wants to start a party with us. I accept, willingly. "Okay! I'll send you two a message when this is ready to go. See you whenever."

"Okay, bye," Ai and I both say.

* * *

><p>I hear a small <em>blip<em> noise as I pour the tea. I set down the teapot and open the message. Ai does the same.

_Hey, it's time. Teleport to floor **. We'll meet you in the main settlement, ****._

_From, Daiki_

We both look at each other, nodding. We equip our armor and weapons. We already restocked our potions and necessary crystals. We run to the teleport gate and teleport ourselves to _****_.

* * *

><p>Our eyes met with many high level players. My guess is that most of them are <em>clearers<em>, players who work to clear the game -risking their lives on the frontline. I saw a few well-known players and clearers. Asuna, the second-in-command of the _ Knights of the Blood Oath_. Her speed is unmatched. Kirito, the solo-clearer. He solos the frontlines, which is highly dangerous. I admire both of them for their accomplishments.

Someone then steps in front of the fifty crusaders. He directs us to gather in our parties and get ready to enter the hideout. We stand with Daiki in front of us. We then move towards the hideout.

After some walking, we reach the headquarters of _Laughing Coffin_. We enter it, anticipating anything. As we walk through the spine-chilling base, the sound of running catches us off guard. The _Laughing Coffin_ members leap from their platform to ours, ambushing us. The formation loses and we are scattered. As I fight the foe in front of me, Ai is nowhere to be seen.

I notice Daiki swinging his Naginata at a member of the _Laughing Coffin_.

"Daiki!" I call out to him as I take a swing at my target. My blade slashes directly across his chest, depleting half his HP. He takes a swing at me. I parry his sword and start to use a skill. My dagger jabs him in the abdomen repeatedly. I then roll under him and stab him right in the back. He evaporates into blue shards. Another member charges me.

"Kokoro, watch it!" Daiki charges my opponent, shoulder-bashing him. He flies into another member's sword. He then vanishes into shards.

"Thanks! Where's Ai?" I ask him as the sounds of clashing swords echo throughout the spacious room.

"She should be…" he looks around, "oh shit!" A PK'er charges him with all his might. Their weapons clash. "Sorry, Kokoro! You'll have to find her yourself… ragh!" He makes some room for himself. "If I were to say, she'd probably be searching for PoH!"

"Okay! Good luck!" I yell to him as I sprint around the battlefield. He flashes a smile at me. I smile back. I could hear the screams of pain and anger as I weave through the clash. I search literally everywhere for Ai, but she seems to be nowhere. I find myself deeper in the headquarters.

I walk around the lonely atmosphere as the sound of clashing weapons ring further behind me.

* * *

><p>"Ragh!" A blade clashes against another. Sparks fly across the air. "PoH!" Another clash! It has to be Ai! "Agh!" Ai flies backwards, I catch her. "Kokoro?" By her name shows the paralyzed symbol. "Kokoro! I'm paralyzed! Do you have any antidotes?"<p>

"Yeah…" I pull out a crystal. "Cu-" Before I finish a throwing pick intercepts the crystal. It flies away.

"No so soon," PoH steps towards us. I grit my teeth. "It's showtime."

A chill runs down my spine, I glance at Ai, "Kokoro, don't…" I disobey her and throw her to another platform. "Kokoro!"

I look at back at PoH, who is ready to fight. "You caused so much pain for Ai… You killed so many innocent…" I wipe the tears from my eyes and ready my blade. We charge each other with deafening force. Our blades clash many times as an occasional jab is made. My heart pumps faster as the sparks fly. PoH uses his cloak to block my vision. I try to sweep his legs. He jumps over my move and aims to hit me. He lodges his cleaver into my left arm. My health depletes quickly as he hacks it further into my arm. I close my eyes.

I then reopen them, revealing twin blazing fires. My hand moves quick, pushing the blade into PoH's abdomen. He reveals a smirk. I ignore it and push the blade deeper. I peek at my health. At this rate I will die.

"Kokoro! Kokoro!" Ai notices my health bar and screams to me. Shit… I'm almost dead now. A few seconds… I close my eyes… Out of nowhere Ai's smile appears in my thoughts.

No! I can't die! Shit, it's too late...

* * *

><p>"Like hell I could die," I push upwards, creating a deep vertical incision. He falls back, still smirking. I jump back to avoid any surprises. My HP is about to disappear. PoH stares behind me. He then stands up and walks away from me with a teleport crystal in hand.<p>

"Telepor-"

"Ai! Kokoro!" Just as PoH is about to say his destination, Daiki calls out to us. PoH then vanishes. "Cure!" I turn around to greet the both of them. Before I could do so, I collapse.

"Kokoro!" Ai calls out my name as I lay on the cold floor, death knocking at my door. I slowly lose consciousness. "Kokoro!"

* * *

><p>My eyes steadily open. I smell a familiar fragrance of Ai's home. My HP bar is full. I try to get up, but something is in the way. I could feel the warmth of Ai's body against mine. I look to the side to see her peacefully sleeping, hugging me. Her beautiful black hair is flowing with contrast against the white bed. Her cute face is silently resting on a pillow. I lift up her bangs and kiss her forehead.<p>

"Mmm…" She moves a little as I giggle. "Hmm…" She moves a little more as she stops smiling. "Kokoro, I-I'm sorry…" Tears start to fall, it seems that she's crying in her sleep. "Kokoro," her grip slightly tightens. "I'm sorry... Kokoro… I-I'm sorry that… I-I didn't help… You…" She pauses for a few moments as I wipe away her tears. "I-I love you."

"Eh?" I flinch a little. My chest feels tightened, and so does my heart. It doesn't hurt though. It feels weird. It feels stronger than anything I've experienced before.

"I love you too, Ai…" I snuggle with her warmth, leaving a deep, deep emotion of love swimming around us.


	11. Hot & Cold

After a battle between the crusaders and the PK guild, _Laughing Coffin_, life has settled down. Now, I'm venturing forth into the month of October. The weather starts to become chilly as the frontline pushes forward.

* * *

><p>"Wah! It's so cold!" We both step outside the warm house and into the chilly world.<p>

"I know, right? We should buy some warmer clothes," I respond.

"We should…" Ai pauses.

"Is something wrong, Ai?" I ask her.

"We should race to the clothing store! It'll warm us up!" Ai suggests.

I slightly grin, "shall we make a bet?"

"Whoever loses has to sing whatever the winner chooses!"

"Okay…" We get into position, "three, two, one… Go!" The specks of frost kick up as we accelerate forward with deafening speed. I could tell that everyone is staring with confusion, but I won't let down. I take a look at Ai… Wait what? Where did she go?! I turn my head forwards; she's way ahead of me! I pick up the pace and slowly catch up with Ai.

After a few minutes of running, we finally arrive at the clothing shop. Sadly, Ai beat me; which means that I'll have to sing to her. We enter the warm building and take our pick at some winter coats. I go for a black coat, tinted with green. Ai picks out a dark red coat. We buy them exit the store with our new coats.

"Ah, it feels much better!" Ai says.

"A lot better! It's a bit early but today was pretty cold," I responds.

"Let's go somewhere secluded for a moment," she takes me by the hand and leads me into a random alley. She stares at me for a while.

'W-What is it?" I look at her confused.

"I'm trying to figure out what you have to sing… As the days go by, I'm starting to forget a lot of songs… Oh! I know!" Her face brightens.

"W-What song?"

"Do you know, _The Parting Glass_, by any chance?"

"By who?"

"I forget… I can tell you how it goes though!" I nod in agreement. "It starts with _Of all the money_-"

"Oh! That song? It's Irish folk right?"

"Yeah! Can you sing it?" I nod my head, "then sing it!" She replies.

I clear my throat. "... _Of all the money; that e'er I had. I spent it in; good company. And all the harm; that e'er I've done. Alas it was to none, but me. And all I've done; for want of wit. To me'mery now; I can't recall. So fill to me; The Parting Glass. Goodnight and joy, be with you all. Oh all the comrades; that e'er I had. They're sorry for, my going away. And all the sweethearts; that e'er I've loved. They'd wish me one more day, to stay. But since it falls; unto my lot, that I should rise, and you should not. I'll gently rise, and softly call. Goodnight and joy; be with you all. Goodnight and joy; be with; you all…_ How was it, Ai?" I ask her after singing _Parting Glass_.

"W-Wow… That was unexpected… I thought you'd suck, honestly. I didn't think you knew how to sing well…" Ai responds.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Nothing! Anyways, since you can sing, can we do a duet?"

"A duet?!"

"Yeah, I can sing too you know!"

"Okay! Let's do it!" We both clear out throats and Ai counts down to one. As she hits it, our voices start off with perfect harmony and stays that way throughout.

* * *

><p>"<em>Goodnight and joy; be with; you all…<em>" Our synced voices end perfectly. We both clear our throats and Ai stares at me. After a few moments, she pushes me to the wall. She then kisses me. I take it and embrace her as her lips press against mine. We then slowly slump onto the ground, my back still against the wall. I could feel her hand on my waist as we kiss.

After a minute, we part out lips, and take a breath. Then she starts kissing me again. Then she disconnects and puts her head on my shoulders. "I love you."

I smile, "I love you too."

* * *

><p>Luckily for us, there is a really nice hot springs on this floor. We teleport to that floor and head to the hot springs. The building has a traditional style to it. The bath is open-air, which means that we can stare at the beautiful night sky as we sit in the warm, comfortable water. I've never been to a bath in the longest of time.<p>

We enter the bath with our towels on. As my foot touches the water, I instantly want to jump in; common sense is the only thing holding me back right now. I slowly step in, letting the towel fall onto the stone behind me. Ai does the same. We both sink into the water with sighs of relief.

"I'm glad that we got to use this bath alone," Ai starts to scoot a little closer.

"Yeah…" I look up to the stars and stretch my arms behind me.

I hear a small giggle from Ai. I look over and her lips press against mine. My body jumps a little from being surprised.

"A-Ai…" My voice barely comes out as she kisses me. We embrace each other and keep our lips pressed. Just as I feel Ai's hand on my arm, I notice that we're naked. Her lips part from mine.

"Kokoro…" She kisses my neck and stays there for a little.

"A-Ah…" She travels back to my lips and stays entwined, embracing this moment.

* * *

><p>We exit the bath with our clothes on and a towel on our heads.<p>

"That was a really good bath!" Ai says aloud.

"Y-Yeah…" I blush.

She grabs me from the back, "you're so cute."

I blush even more and turn around. I give her a quick peck on the lips, "thank you." We walk outside the hot springs and head towards the teleport gate. We then teleport back to _Myujen_, and stroll to Ai's house, conversing throughout the way.

The door to the bedroom opens without a creak. The light illuminates the dark room with no difficulty, and our day today is about to end. We both wear our night clothes, and lay on the bed together. The comfortable bed feels nice, especially after a warm bath. Ai's soft skin feels better though. We give each other a goodnight kiss and sleep in each other's arms.


	12. The Duel

"Hey! Did you hear about the duel between Kirito and Heathcliff?!" As Ai and I walk through the streets of _Collinia_, we hear things about a duel. _Collinia_ is the main settlement of Floor 75. It looks like a Ancient Rome, due to the structures and materials used.

"Kokoro, did you hear them? A duel between Kirito and Heathcliff! Aren't you curious?" Ai speaks.

"I guess…" I respond, "when's the duel?"

"Uh…" She thinks for a moment and approaches the two players chatting about the duel. "Excuse me, do you know when the duel between Kirito and Heathcliff is beginning?"

"It starts in a few hours. We can to take you to the colosseum if you want," it looks like they're trying to hit on her. I walk up to them.

"It's fine. We can get there ourselves, thank you," I thank them and we leave for the colosseum.

* * *

><p>In a few minutes, we reach the vast colosseum. It's filled to the brim as we approach the ticket holder.<p>

Once we reach him he speaks, "tickets for two, right?"

"Yeah, how much?" I answer.

"_520 Col_, each!"

"_520_?!" I glance at Ai and look back at the seller. "Fine," I give him _1040_ _Col_. I signal Ai and we enter the colosseum. It is filled with loud conversations that practically pierce our ears. We find two empty seats and sit on them, anticipating the duel.

* * *

><p>"Two players enter the center. A solo player dressed in black with two swords and the <em>KoB<em> leader dressed red and white with a sword and shield; both in minimal armor. The crowd intensifies as they meet one another at the center. After a few moments, a message appears above them. _Kirito v.s. Heathcliff_! Who will w-"

"Why are you narrating?" I ask Ai.

"I don't know, I'm bored waiting for them to attack ea-" A loud, sonic boom interrupts her as our eyes find the source; it was the sound of their swords clashing and the waves of cheering connecting into one, deafening explosion. I could barely keep up with the speed of their swords and movements. Kirito's swords connects with Heathcliff's impenetrable defense. There is a slight opening and Kirito goes for it. His sword is going to conn-

What? I can't move… Kirito isn't moving either. It's like time has stopped. _Swash!_ Heathcliff somehow blocks Kirito's attack and jabs him. It was enough to take him out of the duel as the message stating that Heathcliff won appears. We exit the arena, bewildered.

* * *

><p>"Ai, did you have a weird feeling during the fight?" I ask her as we sit on a bench.<p>

"Yeah it felt like an absence of time… But the only way that can happen is either lag or a move a _GM_." She responds.

"Well, lag is possible, but at the same time, impossible. I mean this is a game and all, but there can't be lag in this world. It just can't happen. As for the _GM_… It's possible that they want this game to work out a certain way, like a story? No… This is an MMORPG, Kayaba wouldn't want to do that, would he?"

"Yeah, it's a bit weird that Heathcliff is the only person that could move. It has to be the works of a _GM_, but I doubt that a _GM _would do that for no reason. Maybe Heathcliff is a _GM_, watching us. Wait, what am I saying… That's stu-"

"Actually that seems possible. Have you ever watched anyone play an RPG before?" I ask her and she nods. "It's really boring. The most boring thing to do is to watch someone play an RPG. It would be impossible to not want to join in; death game or not." I stand up and grab Ai by the hand. "We should talk to someone about this. It's too weird to ignore, but who should we talk to?"

"I talked to Asuna a bit before the raid on the _Laughing Coffin_ and became friends with her. I doubt we'd be able to talk to her about this, although, it's worth a try." Ai answers my question.

"Okay, let's speak to her tonight. I'll message her quick. We might want to bring Kirito too. Considering that he's the one that felt such a disturbance first-hand."

* * *

><p>"Okay, so you wanted to speak to us, Ai?" Asuna talks with Kirito, Ai, and I inside her house in <em>Selmburg<em>.

"Yeah, first, did you feel anything weird near the end of the duel?" Ai asks the two of them.

"Yeah…" Kirito answers, "it didn't feel right. It's like time froze for us and Heathcliff was still able to attack."

"There are two reasons, right? Lag or the act of a _GM_," I enter the conversation.

"I don't think it was lag if it affected everyone, but Heathcliff. The fact that a _GM_ might've been doing somethings is weird. I would doubt that possibility too. I don't think Kayaba would allow such an interference, unless he is trying to achieve something…"

"Like getting you to join the _Knights of the Blood Oath_?"

"..." Everyone stays silent, deep in thought.

"We'll keep that in mind… Have you two eaten yet?" Asuna speaks.

"No…" Ai and I say in unison.

"Let's stop talking about this for now. Would you like to stay over for dinner? You two seem a little interesting, being a couple and all."

"...They're a couple?" Kirito looks at us, confused.

"Yes, we're actually married. Things get weird sometimes, but I still love her," Ai tells Kirito.

"W-Weird?!" Asuna exclaims, "l-Like what married couples do?"

"Yeah, something like that," I answer at the blushing players.

"You two should get together," Ai points at Kirito and Asuna, and they turn redder.

"O-Oh! I should get the food ready!" Asuna leaves the room and heads into the kitchen. Kirito asks a few more questions about our relationship, delving deeper into forbidden territory.

* * *

><p>"Wah! That looks really good!" We sit down at the table, staring at the food prepared by Asuna. Once we wait a moment, we dig in. Ai talks about our history, including very embarrassing memories.<p>

* * *

><p>"Mm…" Ai kisses me as we enter her home. We fall onto the floor and proceed to embrace each other. I sit in top of Ai and unequip my armor. I then undress myself to my underwear. Ai does the same. I kiss her neck and travel all over her body. We then move to the bed where we start to cuddle. The warmth of Ai's body is against mine as our thoughts begin to fade away into a void. We both fall asleep in each other's arms.<p> 


	13. Offline

It's November 7th, and the day has come for the 75th floor's boss.

* * *

><p>"It's happening today, right?" Ai asks Asuna as she leaves her house.<p>

"Yeah, the 75th boss. Since the 25th floor, it seems that each quarter is a pain beat," Asuna replies.

"I haven't helped in any of the boss battles so far, so I wouldn't have an idea," we reach the teleport gate of _Selmburg_.

"Wish me luck!" Asuna says to us as she is about to teleport to Floor 75.

"Good luck, Asuna!" Ai and I both say. She waves and we do the same.

"I hope she'll be okay…" Ai wishes for the best.

"I think she'll be fine. She's really strong and fast! They'll all be fine!" I try to be optimistic about this. She smiles at me kindly.

* * *

><p>We arrive in the <em>Town of Beginnings<em>; while the clearers work hard to beat the boss, we'll do the best we can to support other players. Ai has a friend who runs an orphanage in this town.

We reach the church/orphanage, and knock on the door. Apparently, since the _Liberation_ _Army_'s oppression is bad nowadays, people don't like to stay outside.

I could hear a girl's voice before the door opens. "Hello?" She opens the door.

"Sasha~" Ai says her name.

"Ai? What are you doing here?" She asks her.

"We," she grabs me, "are going to have fun with the children today! Maybe teach them a few things!"

"Oh okay, come in then!" She lets us into the orphanage. "Kids! It's okay! You can come out!" The kids rush out as they get the signal. There were countless amounts of little boys and girls. I could make out a few teens.

"Hello!" We both greet them.

"My name is Ai," she shoves me in front of her, "this is Kokoro! We're married!"

"A-Ai! They didn't need to know that!" I yell at her as I blush. She grabs me and kisses me in front of all the kids.

"They're lovey-dovey!" I could hear one of the girls yell out loud.

"Aren't they both girls? How does that work?" One of the boys tell us.

"Love has no boundaries, little boy," Ai tells him.

"Yeah!" The other kids say in unison.

"Hey… I'm not a little boy! I'm nine!" Everyone laughs as he finishes.

"So, what would you like to see? Weapons? Armor? Or more kisses?" Ai asks them.

"Weapons!" They ignore the other two options.

"Kokoro, do you have any extra weapons?" Ai whispers to me.

"Yeah… Let me guess, you don't have any spare weapons?" I reply.

"I have one! Anyways, let them play with your spares. It'll keep them occupied for who knows how long," I nod and give the kids a few of my swords and axes the I found. We sit down on a bench, watching them.

* * *

><p>"Hey, you," I could feel someone poking at my face.<p>

I look at him/her, "yeah?"

It was a teenage boy -around fourteen. He has a cute face with somewhat long black hair. "You look like you can fight."

"Well, I can," I reply.

"Can you help me hunt monster?"

"Can you defend yourself?"

"Yes."

I turn to Ai, "Ai, can you watch the kids yourself? He needs some help hunting."

"Sure," she looks at the boy, "don't try to hit on my wife."

He blushes a little, "I-I wasn't going to! Let's go." He grabs me by the hand and leads me outside of town. "Okay, what level are you?"

"Sixty-four, how about you?"

"Wow, I'm only twenty-three," As he finishes speaking, a notification stating that he wants to join my party appears. I accept it.

"Your name is Ryou?"

"Yeah, Kokoro." We go deeper in the forest hoping to find a few monsters that would satisfy the children's hunger.

* * *

><p>After an hour of searching, we only found a few boars.<p>

"I don't think that this is enough for everyone…" Ryou says in disappointment.

"It's fine! I'll buy some food at one of the higher floor. Wanna join me?" I ask him.

"Higher floors? Like how high?" He questions in anticipation.

"Like around fifty… Unless if you're feeling brave enough to go all the way to 75!"

"I-I don't want to die so I'll settle for fifty!"

"Haha, I thought that would happen. Lets head ba- Wah!" I felt a rumbling and I fall onto the ground. Ryou does the same

"Kokoro! What's happening?!" He asks me, scared.

I look up and notice that the second floor is collapsing onto the first. "Is the game… ending?" I mumble to myself.

"Kokoro!" I could tell that he was terrified.

"Ryou! Come over here!" I hold him in my arms as we sit against a tree. "Close your eyes!" The second floor starts to collapse even further as we close our eyes.

* * *

><p>A black screen. I could no longer feel Ryou in my arms. In fact, I could feel nothing. It's like an empty void. Did the game end? Although, that would be impossible; it's only the 75th floor.<p>

I could feel my eyelids trembling. I slowly open them, blinding myself with a mysterious light. I try to look around, but I couldn't for some reason. I struggle to touch my head until I notice that there is something metallic on me. My fingers tremble as I try to lift it off my head.

I could hear a crackling as my hand drops the _NerveGear_ and it falls to the ground.

"Shoot…" What was that? It was supposed to be my voice, but I couldn't call such a sound my voice. It left a deep pain in my throat as I try sit up. My limbs start to hurt as I do so. I look around the room.

I am in a hospital. The room is all white and there is an IV in my arm; along with many other things. The window was open and led a nice breeze throughout the room. From there I could tell that this was real. This is reality. The clearers did it… They cleared the game… I could feel tears running down my face. I'm crying… It's too good to be true.

"Kito-_san_?" I hear an unfamiliar voice. "Kito-_san_! Please stay still! I'll get a doctor to examine you immediately!" She leaves the room and calls for a doctor. A doctor come in and makes sure that I'm okay for the time being.

"Kito-_san_, you will have to stay here for a small while. We'll put you through rehab and make sure that you are well. In a few months, you'll be able to walk and be on your way home."

I smile, "thank you, _sensei_," my voice is still hoarse. I look up to the ceiling and remember Ai. "_Sensei_!" The doctor jolts a little, surprised by my voice.

"Kito_-san_… I don't think it's good to speak right now. Your body is still healing."

"Sorry, this will sound very stupid. Is there any rich girl in this hospital. By the name of Ai?" My voice isn't hoarse anymore and I no longer feel weak.

"I don't think there is, why?"

"Can you please search the other hospitals for her?"

"Ai is a common nam-"

"Ask her if she knows me," I bow after I sit up, "please!"

"Okay, I will tell you if I find anyone…"

"Thanks _sensei_!" I smile at her.

"You're welcome, anyways. Please refrain from straining yourself. It will be bad for your recovery. For now, please rest."

"I don't want to. I've been asleep for who knows how many years! I want to move around!" I pout.

"Try to stand up then," she smiles as I slowly stand.

"Wah!" I nearly fall, but the doctor catches me.

"I told you, Kito_-san_. You need to rest for now. I'll be doing daily checkups on you for a few months. If your body recovers at this rate, you'll be out it a few weeks. Although, you'll have to take it slow. Okay?"

"Fine…"

"Good, I'll be leaving now. Please get some rest," she leaves the room.

I look at my hand and notice that it's really skinny. I guess I should wait until full recovery. "Ai… I hope you're okay…" I stare at the ceiling until my mind goes to sleep.


	14. Reality & Problems

It's been two months before I've fully recovered; a full two months early! I feel like happy. Although, sadly enough, Ai is still hospitalized for another month. At least she lives pretty close to me. It's only four kilometers by foot and one kilometer by car. I haven't visited her yet, but I plan to in the near future. For now, I have to live my life.

* * *

><p>"Kazuki-<em>chan<em>! Ayane-_chan_! Dinner's ready!" I call to my siblings. Before the SAO incident, they were four years old, now, they're six years old. Kazuki and Ayane are twins too. They both have dark hair and eyes like me, but they look very alike. Kazuki's hair is slightly long and messy. His eyes are large and deep with a dark color. Ayane's hair is down to her waist and a lock of hair is swept behind her ear while the other isn't. Her eyes are cute and as big as Kazuki's.

"_Hai_!" They both respond in unison and rush for dinner. Today, I made curry; they both love spicy curry, so that's what I give them today.

We sit on the chairs surrounding the table. My parents are on their anniversary so I have to babysit them.

"_Onee-chan_, can you tell us more about that game?" Kazuki asks me as I take a sip of the curry.

"What would you like to hear about, then?" I question them.

"Did you find a boyfriend?" Ayane asks me suddenly, and I start to cough.

"W-Well, sort of..." I answer them.

"So you _do _have a boyfriend! I'm going to tell mom & dad when they get home!"

"A-Ah, don't do that! I don't have a boyfriend, but I do love someone," I respond.

"Unrequited love?" Kazuki ponders.

"How do you know that term at your age?" I question him, "perhaps, you have someone like that?"

"W-What?! No! I do not! Don't try to reverse the subject!" Kazuki quickly defends himself.

"It wasn't unrequited love… It was more like forbidden love. If you want, we can see _her_ at the hospital tomorrow."

"_HER_?!" They both yell, surprised.

"Ew, that's gross!" Kazuki says.

"H-Hey, it's true love!" I pout. The rest of dinner is filled with playful banter, and joyful eating.

* * *

><p>It's been a few hours after dinner and it's around the time I should go to bed. I enter my room after a nice bath. I look around and notice the <em>NerveGear<em> sitting on my shelf. I stare at it for a few moments before entering my bed and falling asleep.

* * *

><p>"Kazuki-<em>chan<em>! Ayane-_chan_! I'm going to visit _her_! Do you want to come with me?" I ask them as I put on my shoes.

"_Hai_!" They both run down the stairs and put on their jackets and shoes.

"Let's go!" We exit the house and start our four kilometer walk to Ai's hospital.

The walk leaves my siblings tired, so I have to take turns carrying each one of them. We then reach the hospital. There, we take the elevator to the sixth floor and look for Ai's room.

I knock on the door, "Ai~" I say her name in a melodic tone.

"Come in!" It seems that Ai doesn't recognize me yet. I open the door as my siblings grab onto my clothes, hiding behind me. As I enter the room, showing myself, Ai's eyes widen with disbelief. She then starts tear up. "K-Kokoro…" She lifts up her arms, signaling that she wants a hug. I walk to her and embrace her slender body. I then let go and Ai wipes her tears away from her face.

"Ai, I'd like to introduce my siblings to you," I point to Ayane-_chan_, "this is Ayane." I then point to Kazuki, "and this is Kazuki-_chan_."

"Nice to meet you, Ayane-_chan_, Kazuki_-chan_," Ai smiles at them.

"Kazuki-_chan_, Ayane-_chan_, this is Ai," I introduce Ai to them.

"Are you _Onee-chan_'s lover?" Ayane says without warning.

"A-Ayane!"

"I love Kokoro. I love her a lot," Ai says as I crouch to look at Ayane. I flinch at her warm words and look at her.

"I love you too, Ai," I return her feelings.

"Ew!" I could hear Kazuki "ewing" at our relationship; I laugh a little.

"Ai, how's your recovery going?" I ask her.

"It's going well. I've been showing great results, if I'm lucky, I'll be able to be discharged in a couple of weeks," she answers.

"Are your parents mad? And your marriage meeting partner?"

"My parents were worried to death. They were crying tears of joy when they heard I was back. As for my partner… He was completely angry! He slapped me when no one was looking! I wish he'd just stop existing!"

"Wow, you need to cancel that marriage as soon as possible."

"I could only delay it for a month. My parents are visiting me again this evening so I can convince them then."

"I hope this all works out. I'll come see you again tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay, bye bye."

"Bye, Ai-_nee_-_chan_!" Kazuki and Ayane say their farewells.

"Bye, Ai," I say goodbye to her as we leave the room. Afterwards, we leave the hospital and head back home.

"Kokoro!" My mother calls to me. I exit my room and go downstairs. The back of our house and second floor is where we live. The front of the first floor is a small cafe called _Akarui Sora_ (Bright Sky), which our family owns. I open the door leading to the cafe.

"_Hai_?" I ask my mother.

"I need your help for a second… Can you serve those gentlemen over there? I have the drinks right here, just bring it to them."

"Okay," I get the plate with the drinks on it and bring it to them.

"This sucks. I have to wait another month, to marry her! Why'd she have to try that fucking game! That damned bitch!" I overhear their conversation as I set the drinks down.

"Um, excuse me, sir," I say as I set down the cups.

"What the hell do you want?" I flinch.

"Could you please keep your voice down. You're disturbing other customers."

"Who are you to tell me what I do!?"

"S-Sir, please, can y-" He smacks me across the face and I fall to the ground. My mother rushes over to me. I haven't felt such pain since I got out of SAO.

"Leave this premises before I make you," I look up and notice my father. He has a very muscular build and his eyes are raging. I can't imagine the amount of rage he's keeping inside of him.

"Tch!" He swipes the cups onto the floor, shattering them. "Let's go," he walks toward the exit with his friends. Before he could exit, though, my father turns him around and lifts him by the shirt.

"I forgot to say: apologize to my family," he says to him.

"Why the hell should I do th-" My father pushes him against the wall, his back makes a loud pound as it hits. "A-Alright! I'm sorry for hitting her and destroying your cups!" My father lets go and the man coughs, "damn! You better be ready for what's coming, old man!" He exits the cafe.

My father turns to us and helps me up, "Kokoro, are you okay? Sorry you had to see that. Rest for a little, your mother and I will take care things."

I look at him, worried, "what do you think is going to happen?" I ask as I touch my face.

He looks at my eyes and smiles, "don't worry! The worst he can do is break a few more cups! We'll be fine. Get some rest, will ya?" He pats me on the back and helps me up. Then he escorts me upstairs, "brush your teeth, take a bath, and go to sleep, okay?"

"Okay," I head to the bathroom and do what he says. I then walk into my room, in my nightclothes and lay on the bed. Was that guy Ai's boyfriend? He seemed abusive, talked about waiting a month to marry someone, and said something about a game. He could totally be talking about the marriage meeting and SAO. As I think about it more, my mind starts to fall asleep; as does my body.


	15. Ai

I knock on the wooden door, "Ai?"

"Come in," she responds before I open the door. I wave and sit down by her.

"So… H-How did it go with your parents?" I ask her.

"Since that was my first time consulting them about it, they were taken aback by it. They asked me how long he'd been abusing me and how they didn't notice."

"That means that they agreed to cancel it?"

She smiles at me brightly, "yes."

I smile back and hug her, "that's good. What about your partner then? Won't he be pissed?"

"He'll be so pissed…"

"Anyone in their right mind would. I'm just happy that you won't be marrying such a jerk."

"You've met him?"

"Yeah... He hit me, destroyed a few cups, and got scared away by my father."

"Is your father that scary?"

"If he puts his mind to it, even a pro wrestler wouldn't dare threaten him."

"Wo-" There is a loud banging on the door before it opens. A man steps in with the face full of anger.

"Ai! What the hell is the meaning of this!? Why did you cancel the marriage!?" He yells at Ai, ignoring me.

"I-Isamu? What are you doing here?" Ai questions him, startled.

"Answer my damned question!" He screams at her.

"You..." She clears her throat, "...you've abused me, and you killed Inoue!" She yells back.

He looks at her with his eyes widened, "come with me!" he grabs her arm and tries to drag her off the bed.

"Stop!" I grab his arm with my hand and order him to stop with a stern voice.

He glares at me for a moment, "you're that girl from that cafe..." He lets go of Ai and grabs me instead.

"Ai!" I call out to her as he drags me out of the room.

"Kokoro!" She makes an attempt to save me and falls to the ground as she gets smacked by her partner, Isamu.

"Ai!" I call to her one last time before he knocks me out.

* * *

><p>I awake on a bed with a bandage wrapped around my head. A nurse is about to exit the room.<p>

"H-Hey!" I call out to her.

She turns to me, "you're awake? Let me get a doctor."

"Wait!"

"Let me ge-"

"Where is Ai?"

"...She disappeared from her room with someone, and you were found outside of her room with blood coming out of your head."

"Who was she with?"

"I think it was Himura-_san_, Himura Isamu-_san_."

"Where are they?"

"I saw them leave together in a car."

"What car?"

"It looked like a black limo."

"Do you have a bicycle I can use?"

"Y-Yes but how do you plan to catch up?"

"Thank you, where?" I ignore her question.

"It's the only blue bike at the bike rack."

"Thank you so much," I jump off the bed and sprint towards the bike rack. I grab the bike and pedal towards my house.

* * *

><p>In about fifteen minutes, I arrive at my home. Thankfully, my father's car is still there. I run into the house and grab the keys.<p>

"Kokoro?! What the hell do you think you're doing?" My father catches me trying to take them.

"F-Father?!"

"Answer my question!"

"I-I need your car!"

"Do you even know how to drive?!"

"Yes!" I look at him with seriousness.

"When did you lea-" He notices the urgency I'm showing, "fine... I'm coming with you if it's as serious as I think it looks like."

"Thank you!" We both run out of the house with the car keys. We then get into the car. I grab the driver's seat and he grabs passenger. I start the car.

"So what's wrong?" He asks me.

"My girlfriend has been kidnapped," I answer with full seriousness.

"G-Girlfriend?!"

"Do you know how to track down cars?"

He stares at me for moment before shaking his head, "no but I do know someone," smiles and rushes into the house. He comes out seconds later with Kazuki next to him. Kazuki sits in the back seat with A laptop in his hands.

"Why'd you bring Kazuki?" I ask my father.

"He knows how I track down a car." My father replies.

"How do yo- Nevermind..."

"So... do you know the license plate number?"

"I only know what the car looks like... It's a black limo."

"Do you know anything else?"

"It belongs to the Himura family."

"That's enough for me." He starts to type into his computer, and seconds later a destination appears in the GPS.

"_Himura Hotel_? Let's go then!" My father says, excited. I accelerate and follow the waypoint.

* * *

><p>We then arrive at the destination. There is a black limo, along with some other cars.<p>

"Kazuki, you stay in the car. Kokoro and I will go in."

"Roger that! And good luck!" He playfully salutes us. We both exit the car and make our way into the hotel. Once we arrive we have to search the building for Ai. My father walks up to the receptionist.

"Do you know where Himura-_sama _might be?" He asks her with an official tone.

"I'm sorry but I can't give out that information."

He changes his stance to look more intimidating, "he has asked me to act as a bodyguard. Currently, he is suspicious and would like to have a bodyguard… Now, answer my question. That is, if you don't want to be fired for the possible death of your Himura-_sama_."

"I-I'm sorry for keeping you, sir. He is currently on the twenty-seventh floor. You may take the elevator."

"Thank you very much, ma'am." My father flashes a smile, and we head into the elevator, selecting the twenty-seventh floor.

"Where did you learn to do that?" I ask him as the elevator moves upward.

"Manga," he answers.

"You read Manga?"

"Yeah, used to."

_Ding!_ The elevator stops. We walk into the room and there were about ten guys. A few of them held bats and knives while others held much larger weapons such as swords. Ai was strapped to a chair by the window. Isamu stood behind her with a knife to her neck.

"Father…" I look at my father.

"Yes?" He replies without looking at me.

"This may be very troublesome…"

"That's an understatement… Don't worry, I called up your older brother and his friends."

"I have an older brother?"

"Yes..." The faint sound of a helicopter whirs in the distance, closing in every second. "I think that's him," a helicopter with a .50 cal appears by the window. "Kokoro! Get her!" My father orders me as the kidnappers are distracted. They could barely hear me as the helicopter emits a deafening noise.

"Hey! She going for Maki!" One them yells out. A few of them look at me. I start rushing even faster. They chase after me as I try to reach Ai.

"Ai!" I call out to her. A few seconds later she breaks free, but has trouble standing. She must've been drugged. I reach her and place her on my shoulder. "Thank god you're light," I say, smiling.

"Now's not the time to be joking around!" Ai yells.

"Right, sorry!" I turn around and hurl her across the room to my father. "Dad!" He catches Ai. I dive onto the floor and cover my head. I could barely hear screams as the deafening sound of bullets tear through the glass and into the kidnappers' flesh. After all of that noise is silence. There was nothing that moved other than my father, Ai, and I. The elevator opens and five men with guns appear. One of them helps me up. His face looked like my father's, but his long black hair doesn't.

"_Ani_?!" I exclaim.

"Y-Yes, I'm your brother," he answers with a somewhat frightened face.

"Why did you never come to meet me? Why did my father never mention you?"

"I am part of a gang. It was to protect you and I." I glare at him for a moment before kicking him at _that_ spot, he groans in pain.

"That's for not being there for me!"

"I-I deserved that one…" He turns to my father, "_Chichi_…"

"Thanks for this one, Yuuta."

"Haha, no problem, we've been after this asshole for a while now." He smiles at my father and looks back at me.

"Are you going back?" I ask him.

"Yep, we'll have to go into hiding for a few days. Although, you don't have to lay low. I pulled some strings to make sure you three won't get caught."

"Thanks for this, _Ani_," I hug him.

"No problem, _imouto_," he puts his arms around me.

"Yuuta! We need your help to I.D some of these bastards!" One of the other members calls for him and he lets go.

"Next time we meet, I'll be sure to buy you something," he tilts his head, smiles, and pats me on the head. He then runs to his friend. I walk to my father and Ai.

"Kokoro," my father says my name.

"Yes?" I reply.

"You called me dad back there instead of father…" He wipes his eyes.

"I-I did?!"

"I never thought I'd ever see the day!" He hugs me as if he's about to suffocate me.

"Father! I'm going to-" He lets go.

"Sorry, you can talk to your girlfriend now," he pouts.

I walk to Ai. She sits against the wall, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine, the drugs are still wearing off. I still have to stay at the hospital though."

"I'll be sure to visit you everyday!"

"Thanks, Kokoro."

I smile and embrace her, "it's my pleasure." Before I could put my chin by her shoulder, she moves her head and kisses me instead. My eyes widen and my cheeks blush. My father then grabs me by the arm and pulls me away.

"That's part of thank you gift. I'll give you the rest later," she smiles and winks at us.

"Kokoro, I'm going to have to talk to you once we get home," my father says to me.

"Fine…" We all exit the building and leave the rest to my brother. We drop Ai off at the hospital and we head back home. There, my father speaks to me in private.

"Why do you have a girlfriend?" He asks me.

"It just sort of happened. She loves me and I love her," I answer him.

"Does Japan allow same-sex marriages?"

"They didn't a few years ago. Now they do."

"Then if they do it's fine," he notices me smiling at his agreement, "Your mother will have the final decision in this. I don't want to meddle in a marriage full of girls."

"Thank you, dad!"

He flinches a little, "anything for my family," he smiles. "Now go to sleep! You've to ask your mother tomorrow. Maybe she'll give you permission."

"Okay, bye!" I run upstairs and head into the bathroom. I take a bath and head to my bed. I flop onto the bed with a big smile on my face. I close my eyes.

Ai… I fall asleep.


End file.
